


How To Train Your Iruka

by houkouonchi



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Teenage Rebellion, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:17:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1946028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houkouonchi/pseuds/houkouonchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A young Kakashi is assigned to tutor a teenage, rebellious Iruka through his Chunin exam. </p><p><b>Contains (Highlight to view):</b> <span class="spoiler">Mod added: Teenage kissing</span></p><p><b>Prompt/Scenario:</b>  #5 by Aviss: First love. They fell in love when they were teenagers but it didn't work out. Through the years they never completely drift apart, until something happens and they get back together</p>
            </blockquote>





	How To Train Your Iruka

**Author's Note:**

> As for Kakashi and Iruka’s ages in this story, according to the official character books Iruka became a chunin at 16 and based on the estimates for their ages when the series began Iruka and Kakashi have a 3 or at most 4 year age difference. I loved this prompt and although I had to wrap things up quickly because of time (darn you real life!) I hope to do a re-write soon. A million thanks to the wonderful and lovely [Txilar](http://archiveofourown.org/users/txilar/pseuds/txilar) for all the wonderful beta help and direction! Any and all feedback is welcome!

Kakashi stretched languidly, basking in the warm light of the sun perched high overhead. He glanced skyward toward the canopy of overlapping leaves and then downward noting that the clearing he had been observing for the past three hours was still completely and utterly empty. His patience, already fragile at the mere thought of his impending mission, grew even thinner with each minute he was made to wait. 

“What’s taking that kid so long?” he muttered, wondering if he should just report back to the Hokage Tower when a rustling at the edge of the clearing caught his attention. A figure emerged from the bushes, sauntering with what Kakashi believed was all the unfounded overconfidence only a teenage boy filled with raging hormones would dare to display. Kakashi watched as the boy plopped down at the base of a tree and removed a tie that had been holding back his shoulder length, chestnut brown hair into a messy ponytail. He then shook it out and proceeded to examine the ends of it. 

Kakashi rolled his eye at the boy’s unabashed preening. Any respectable shinobi, thought Kakashi, should find that type of behavior disgraceful. Not to mention that by leaving himself exposed he appeared to have no sense of self-preservation. The only other person he knew who was so overly concerned with appearance was Gai, and at least he had the skill to back up his eccentric jumpsuit and eyebrows so thick they rivaled even the bushiest of caterpillars. Kakashi wondered idly whether the boy was planning to fight someone or model for them. For the record, _I have never once hesitated to slay an enemy based on the luxuriousness of their hair_ , Kakashi thought irritably. 

Slipping a kunai with an exploding tag attached out of the pouch at his waist, Kakashi figured he would amuse himself by testing his new student’s ability. If he was going to be forced to tutor someone the Hokage had described as _capable, but difficult_ , he might as well make it entertaining. Turning toward the boy, who was still preoccupied with his tresses, Kakashi hurled the kunai directly at him. 

Snapping his head up, the boy quickly withdrew his own kunai and crouched low against the base of the tree. Kakashi observed with some amount of satisfaction that the teenager had sufficiently sensed the presence of the approaching projectile, but his response time needed work because he’d noticed only seconds before making it too late to avoid completely. The teenager knocked Kakashi’s advancing one aside where it became embedded the trunk of a tree; then he dove toward the ground, flattening his body against the earth to shield himself from the force of the adjacent blast.

“Not bad, for a no count slacker. I will give you points for your head not exploding, but you could probably stand to work a little less on your hair and a bit more on your defense,” Standing between him and what remained of the tree Kakashi clapped his hands together in a slow round of mocking applause. 

The boy’s mouth twisted with rage, his glittering dangerously. Kakashi thought his expression resembled that of a cornered beast in the wild. Without warning, the teenager suddenly lunged up at Kakashi with his kunai. Catching his wrist easily, Kakashi twisted the boy’s arm behind him at an awkward angle and sat on his back so that he was pinned to the ground.

“Hey, I think you got tree in your hair,” Kakashi deadpanned, “you should do something about that no count,” he continued idly picking pieces of bark from the boy’s mussed locks. 

“My name’s not _no count_! And don’t touch my hair!” the boy huffed, squirming underneath Kakashi trying to free himself. 

Kakashi looked as if he were considering the boy’s words. “Alright,” Kakashi said conciliatorily, “maybe I could just call you peacock. You do like to preen and display it seems.” 

“My name’s Iruka!” Iruka wrenched his neck around and noshed his teeth in a futile attempt to bite Kakashi’s hand. 

“Now that’s not very nice,” Kakashi chided and thumped Iruka soundly on the back of his head before releasing him to stand up.

Iruka rolled over, facing Kakashi fully for the first time. “And I’m not a _no count_ , you just caught me by surprise!” he continued, glowering up at Kakashi as if he hoped the intensity of his gaze would burn the other man to death. 

“Fair enough, but if you’re such a skilled shinobi, why do you think the Hokage assigned me to tutor you? I hear that you _barely_ passed your genin exam and that you’ve taken the chunin exam at least three times, heading for your fourth. Is it your intention to stay a genin forever, no count?”

“Listen jerk,” Iruka said, voice rising in anger. He scrambled to his feet as Kakashi stood perfectly still, not bothering to move when he grabbed the collar of his flak jacket. “You’re not better than me!”

If he’d wanted to, Kakashi easily could have avoided him, but based on his earlier performance Kakashi figured Iruka didn’t pose much of a threat. Besides, he was slightly surprised at Iruka’s earnestness and lack of trepidation. 

Most shinobi in the village, especially those of lower rank, generally regarded him with a mixture of deference, admiration and not some small amount jealousy. Being promoted to jounin at such a young age had made him somewhat of a living legend in Konoha and there was seemingly no end to the talk of his genius. Admittedly, this had made him somewhat arrogant as a child, but as he’d grown the attention proved more tiresome than anything else. The thought of how refreshing it was to encounter someone who was not afraid of him or awed by his reputation briefly entered Kakashi’s mind and he felt a small amount of fondness for Iruka before he remembered that the little punk had just called him a jerk and was currently trying to choke him to death. 

“I never said that I was better than you, but now that you mention it, it is quite obvious based on that poor excuse for ninjutsu I just witnessed,” Kakashi said in an amused voice. There was something in him that just couldn’t help but want to tease and provoke Iruka a little. 

Iruka stepped back and folded his arms. “Oh, is that right?” he said with just a hint of smugness. “Then tell me, why is it that you are here babysitting instead of out on some S-ranked mission? You must not be _that_ essential if the old man can spare you for this waste of everyone’s time.” 

Kakashi sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was determined not to let Iruka goad him into losing his temper. He’d endured worse insults from Obito for the better part of his adolescence, and dealt out just as many of his own until he knew better, so he could definitely handle the mouth on this brat. Besides, it wouldn’t do to let this kid get him all riled up. 

He shrugged and looked at Iruka. “Who knows? I guess it was just my unlucky day, no count,” he said and disappeared just as swiftly as he’d appeared earlier. 

“My name is Umino I-RU-KA!” Iruka yelled, stomping his foot with every drawn out syllable. 

Returning to his perch in the tree, Kakashi snickered. He watched as Iruka bent down and angrily snatched the scroll he’d left behind from the ground. Unrolling it, he lips moved silently as he read the contents, his eyes first widening and then narrowing in indignation at Kakashi’s final line – 

_Iruka-kun, let’s make our training **count**_! 

Dropping the parchment to the ground, Iruka’s hands flew rapidly through a series of seals and the scroll erupted in a mass of angry red flames. Spinning on his heels, he tossed his hair and made his way back toward the edge of the clearing. Kakashi observed him curiously as he paused just before entering the brush and looked over his shoulder in the general direction of Kakashi’s hiding place. Speaking loudly he said, “I’ll make it count alright, and the next time you want an excuse to check out my backside you needn’t make it quite so obvious _sensei_.” 

Kakashi, who usually prided himself on his generally unflappable nature, nearly tumbled off the branch and Iruka simply snorted, strutting back into the forest the way he had come. 

~~~~~~~~~  
Kakashi stalked down the hallway past a number of shinobi who wisely only nodded in his general direction as a greeting or pretended to ignore him, all except for one. 

“Hello my rival! Have you come to challenge me?” Grinning from ear to ear and blocking his path stood the green clad subject of his friendliest nightmares, Gai. 

Kakashi drew in a deep breath. He wondered if it would it be rude to unceremoniously shove the man out of his way? After all, he had important business to attend to concerning the truancy of certain a brown haired teenage menace. He sighed. No, that wouldn’t do. He wasn’t truly irritated with Gai, and besides, the man had never done an unkind thing to anyone else in his entire life, let alone to Kakashi. 

“I’m here for a meeting so I don’t really have time to chat,” Kakashi said tersely, hoping that Gai would take the hint to leave. 

Gai smiled even wider. “Oh, is this about your new student? I think it’s wonderful that you want to impart your wisdom to the next generation of Konoha! I cannot wait to mold the minds of the youth in the springtime of their lives!” he said entirely too loudly for someone speaking indoors. 

Kakashi cringed inwardly, both at the volume of Gai’s voice and his horrible use of metaphor. However, he was astonished at how aware of Konoha’s gossip even Gai was. He had hoped that the details of this particular task would remain between him and the Hokage, but he knew good and well that every wall had multiple sets of eyes and ears in the village. 

“Well, I guess that’s one way of putting it, but if this is an example of what the next generation has to offer, I’d say it’s best if we give up now.” 

Gai slapped him on the back and guffawed loudly. “Oh Kakashi, you’re always such a comedian. I’ll let you attend to your meeting for I have a thousand laps to run around the village! See you!”

Kakashi stepped past Gai and continued down the hallway. Stopping before the door to the Hokage’s office, he nodded to the two ANBU standing silently in front who immediately stepped aside to admit him. 

“Hello Kakashi-kun,” Sandaime said affably without raising his head from the scroll his nose was buried in, “what brings you here all of a sudden? Don’t you have work to do?” 

Kakashi cleared his throat. “Yes Sandaime-sama, I’m actually here about that. I suppose you could say there have been a few…complications.” 

Sandaime laid the scroll aside and looked up at Kakashi. A small smile graced his lips but his voice was distinctly stern. “Oh, is that so? And here I thought that you could handle such a basic assignment. It’s certainly not like you to give up on a mission Kakashi-kun.” 

“Of course I’m not giving up!” he said suddenly irate, “I’m just here to make my report and seek your advice on how best to proceed with instructing the target.”

“Well, it’s true that this is your first time training a genin, so I imagine it would be difficult to know where to start. Also, by target I assume you mean cute little Iruka-kun?” 

Kakashi wanted to respond that there was absolutely nothing cute at all about that punk and that he suspected Iruka was simply one of the old man’s pet projects, but instead said, “Yes, I meant _Iruka-kun_ ,” hoping his mask hid the look of derision look on his face. 

Sandaime stared at him. “I suggest that you get to know Iruka-kun a little better. Observe him, conduct a home visit, talk to his friends and teachers,” the man said, standing and turning away from Kakashi to stare out of the large window behind his desk. “Adolescents can be reluctant to open up to those outside of their peer group, you know. Besides, you’re hardly much older than Iruka-kun yourself, so you should recall how tough being a teenager can be. He has so much potential, but the boy is troubled and needs to learn a little discipline. I want you to see to it that he passes his chunin exam this time and perhaps you can even,” he circled his hand in the air, as if searching for a word, “help him out with some of his other personal struggles.”

His eye briefly widening in incredulity Kakashi responded, “Yes Hokage-sama, I’ll do my best.” He was thankful the older man was turned away, though he doubted that a ninja of Sandaime’s caliber ever missed anything.

While Kakashi respected the Hokage he also greatly resented the dig at his age. He was a perfectly capable adult, then again he supposed Sandaime understood that fact or he would have never assigned him to the ANBU squad. Yet, if he had known that taking some leave would result in him playing teacher and counselor to a brat he would have rather stayed out in the field. Assassinations and infiltrations trumped teaching delinquents any day. 

The fact was that he had seen neither hide nor hair of Iruka since that first day in the forest. Each day Kakashi waited only for Iruka never to show up. Instead of wasting time searching the village for him, Kakashi was hoping he’d be let off the hook if he simply reported to Sandaime that the boy was uninterested in his help. But Kakashi could tell that the Hokage cared deeply about Iruka, otherwise he would not have gone to such lengths to help him. Kakashi frowned at the undesirable turn his conversation with Sandaime had taken. The old man certainly knew how to play him. Dejectedly, he began to realize that even if he were to inform the Hokage that Iruka was playing hooky he would not be allowed to bow out of his mission so easily. 

“At any rate,” Sandaime continued cheerfully, “this will become excellent experience for the day when you’re assigned your own team of genin.”

Kakashi suppressed a shudder. He had no desire to ever have a team of hyperactive, moody, overemotional youngsters hanging around him on a regular basis. He’d have to find a way to get out of that in the near future. 

Perhaps if I simply fail them all, he thought.

~~~~~~~~~

Kakashi entered Iruka’s apartment through a set of sliding doors on the balcony. Always the thorough trespasser, he had seen to disabling the small number of wards he’d sensed as he’d stood outside trying to determine if Iruka was at home. Regardless of his other failings, Kakashi was pleased that Iruka made an effort to properly secure his home. 

Slightly smaller than the claustrophobic space he occupied in the jounin dormitory, the one roomed apartment was astonishingly neat for what Kakashi expected a teenage boy’s space to look like. Iruka either had someone doing the cleaning for him or he was exceptionally OCD both about his appearance and his living space. 

Kakashi’s moved slowly about the room prodding and examining everything he could find. Iruka appeared to have few possessions, save for a surprisingly large collection of books and scrolls arranged neatly on a shelf placed in the corner of the room. To Kakashi, it appeared that Iruka enjoyed reading and studying, although his behavior might suggest otherwise. His eye lit upon on the spine of one volume in particular, so worn that looked as if it might fall apart at the slightest touch. Removing the book from the shelf, one glance at the cover confirmed his hunch – it was a photo album. The front was plastered with photographs of people Kakashi didn’t recognize, except for one picture.

The photo showed Sandaime standing next to a solemn faced boy with his hand on the child’s shoulder. The boy’s dark, haunted eyes reflected a subtle sadness that looked out of place besides the Hokage’s lighthearted, smiling expression. Curious, he flipped open the cover and was instantly squirted with a foul smelling liquid that made him gag. 

“Serves you right for breaking in here, jounin-san,” a voice behind him taunted. Kakashi spun around to see Iruka perched on top of a small desk against the wall. 

“I was just…paying you a visit…when you happened to be out,” Kakashi said between gasps and coughs, “What is this stuff?”

Laughing gleefully Iruka swung his legs back and forth like a child. “That stuff, jounin-san, is my custom made stink bomb. It’s one hundred times worse than any scent a skunk can produce. People will be avoiding you for weeks.”

“It’s not like I have ever needed any help in that area kid, but thanks anyway I guess,” Kakashi said sardonically. 

He stalked over to Iruka and thrust the book into his hands. “Besides, the only person I’ll be spending inordinate amounts of time around for the next month or so is you, so I suppose it’s not a complete waste. Oh, and since we never got around to formal introductions, the name’s Kakashi.” 

“As if I care,” Iruka scoffed. “By the way, do you just plan on hanging around here all day or what?” 

Kakashi smiled, and folding his arms over his chest leaned casually against the desk beside Iruka. “Well, I did have other plans, but considering that I now smell like a landfill I guess they’ll have to wait.” Kakashi said sliding closer to Iruka and gently bumping his shoulder with his own. “Why?”

Iruka recoiled, scrunching up his nose. “Uhh…no reason.” 

“Oh there has to be a reason,” Kakashi said airily, “otherwise there’d be no point in asking questions at all,” sidling nearer to Iruka with each word Kakashi continued, “If there’s something you want, you have to tell me Iruka-kun.” He winked. 

“It’s not like that – ” Iruka started before tumbling ungracefully off the desk onto his futon. 

Hands on his hips, Kakashi leaned down over Iruka’s sprawled form. “You must to be the clumsiest shinobi I have ever met.” 

Abruptly kicking his leg out Iruka hooked Kakashi’s ankle with his foot. Caught by surprise, Kakashi tumbled down on top of him. 

His eye widen in shock for a moment. This would not do. He could not allow a mere teenager to know that he’d bested a jounin. He’d have to make it look like he’d meant to do it, which could also prove to be troublesome, but it was better than being shown up by a genin. 

Pushing himself up onto his arms, Kakashi peered down at Iruka. Even though it was annoying for him to admit, he actually thought that Iruka was quite handsome. Iruka’s hair hung loose, framing a tanned cherub shaped face that was just beginning to display the firm, chiseled lines of burgeoning adulthood, and although he was almost as tall as Kakashi, he certainly had a few centimeters more yet to grow. 

Iruka cleared his throat and Kakashi realized that he was staring at Iruka’s now beet red face. “Jounin-san, would you get off of me now, or is this a special part of your training?” 

Kakashi stood up, straightening himself. Amused by Iruka’s sudden shyness, he spoke in what he hoped was his sultriest voice, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you never to tempt a jounin, Iruka?” 

Iruka flushed even harder and looked down, not meeting Kakashi’s eye. “Whatever,” he said softly, “anyway, I was just about to make dinner and since there’s no restaurant in Konoha that would let you in smelling like that, you can have some if you want.” 

From what Kakashi could tell based on his reconnaissance, Iruka did not seem to have many friends and he suspected that he might be lonely. Of course, Iruka would have never outright asked Kakashi to spend time with him, so this was his indirect way of inviting him. Feeling somewhat generous he thought he would oblige Iruka’s request without rubbing his nose in it, besides his testosterone infused, overly inflated teenage male pride had already taken enough of a beating for one day. 

Kakashi waved his hand dismissively and looked at Iruka. “Sure, as long as you don’t ask me to help you cook. I don’t mind cleaning up though.” And pulling out a well-worn copy of his favorite book, he summarily plopped down on the floor looking right at home. 

Shaking his head Iruka eyed him wearily. “I should have known. Lousy, good for nothing perverted jounin,” he muttered as he got up and headed toward the kitchenette.

“Oh, and Iruka-kun,” Kakashi intoned lazily, “how about you start showing up for our training sessions from now on? Remember, I know where you live.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ve already been warned by the old man,” Iruka said, shuffling around in the kitchen. “He told me that if I missed any more training he’d send me back to the Academy next year.” 

Kakashi chuckled. He knew the old man never missed anything. 

~~~~~~~

“Is this some kind of joke jounin-san?” 

“Aren’t pranks and jokes more your specialty?” Kakashi asked. 

Iruka stamped his foot, looking the very picture of a petulant child. “That does not come anywhere close to even answering my question, and if you tell me to look underneath the underneath one more time I swear that I will punch you in the face!” 

Quirking an eyebrow Kakashi continued, “In any case, this is part of your training so you better keep going unless you’d rather I tell Sandaime-sama it’d be best if you gave up on the exam this year.”

“You are the worst!” Iruka stared dolefully up the trunk of a towering tree indented with a number of deep footprints. “And just how exactly is this supposed to help me with the exam?” 

“Look, all you have to do is walk up that tree trunk and bring Pakkun back down. It’s a fairly simple chakra manipulation exercise,” said Kakashi.

Iruka sucked his teeth. “Yeah, I know that already, but every time I’m about to reach him he moves higher! He got up there by himself, so surely he can get himself down,” he said in exasperation. 

“Time’s a-wasting Iruka,” Kakashi said. He bit his finger and pressed it swiftly to the ground. At his touch a small dog wearing sunglasses with a scroll tied around its neck appeared. 

“I’d stop asking questions and get to work if I were you unless you want me to send Akino here along to the Hokage Tower.”

Iruka mumbled something obscene underneath his breath then took off running up the tree. He progressed a quarter of the way up before his foot caught in the bark and he was catapulted back off by his own momentum, somersaulting down to the ground. 

Kakashi nodded approvingly. They had spent the better part of a month on the edge of Konoha territory close to Fire Country’s border training and despite his constant grumbling Kakashi felt that Iruka was making excellent progress. 

“That wasn’t too terrible Iruka,” said Kakashi, “but you’re not concentrating. You have to learn to sense the precise amount of chakra you’ll need to perform certain tasks. Once you get there you’ll just be able to feel it.”

Iruka stood up and brushed himself off. “That’s easy for the so called jounin extraordinaire to say, although I have my doubts about that extraordinary part.”

“You are one ungrateful, insufferable son-of-a – “ 

“Kakashi!” a shout from Pakkun interrupted his diatribe, “I think we have some company.”

“What is he talking about?” Iruka asked looking surprised. 

Kakashi put a finger to his lips silencing any further questions from Iruka and bounded up into the treetops settling next to Pakkun. Kakashi knew that traveling such a long distance away from the village to reach the outskirts of Fire Country meant there were bound to be a number of other shinobi drifting around at the border, yet he had been careless. How could he have allowed himself to become so distracted? For some reason being with Iruka was affecting him more than he’d realized. Kakashi peered down looking for the boy who was occupying his thoughts at the moment only to glimpse an empty space where Iruka should have been. His eyes searched the ground frantically and just as he was about to call out a voice beside him spoke.

“Yo.”

“What are you doing up here?” Kakashi asked roughly, “Are you telling me that you were able to do that the entire time?” 

Iruka grinned. “Nope, not the entire time. I figured it out in the last hour or so.” 

Kakashi ground his teeth in frustration. “Whatever. We have bigger problems to worry about. What exactly are we looking at Pakkun?”

Pakkun shook his head. “I’m not a hundred percent certain,” he said sniffing the air, “but I suspect it might be hunters. Weren’t there reports of hunter-nin for hire around this area kidnapping shinobi and selling the bodies and the information to the highest bidder?” 

“This must be some sort of divine punishment for never reading reports or doing my paperwork,” Kakashi said sighing, “How many are there?” 

“It’s a three man cell, but that’s more than enough.” 

“Hunters?” Iruka whispered almost too softly for Kakashi to hear. 

Alarmed by Iruka’s uncharacteristic response, Kakashi looked over at his student. The teenager’s face was ashen.

“Hey,” Kakashi called quietly, placing his hand gently on top of Iruka’s. “Are you with us? This isn’t the time to freak out. Save that for later when I’m yelling at you for something.” He hoped his attempt at humor would lighten the mood and snap Iruka out of whatever had shaken him. 

Iruka didn’t reply, but instead gripped Kakashi’s hand tightly. His eyes settled on Kakashi’s face and he let out a shuddering breath that shook his entire body. “They tried to take me after the kyuubi attack,” he whispered.

“The hunters?” Kakashi asked, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles on the back of Iruka’s hand. 

Iruka nodded slowly, appearing to Kakashi like a child much younger than his years, who was terrified of the imaginary monsters in his closet; only the demons Iruka feared were very real. “They left me with this,” he said touching the scar spanning the bridge of his nose. 

Even though the hunter-nins’ reputation for brutality was well-known, Kakashi would have never imagined they would attack and mutilate even a child. It was unthinkable for any decent shinobi and Kakashi suddenly felt infuriated at the thought of anyone ever laying a hand on Iruka let alone hurting him. 

It wasn’t until Iruka hissed in pain that Kakashi realized he was squeezing his hand much too strongly and startled by his own train of thought he let go. 

“Sorry,” Kakashi said softly. 

“Are you trying to break my hand jounin-san?” Iruka said shaking his hand and glaring at Kakashi. 

Relieved that Iruka seemed to have returned to normal Kakashi didn’t reply.

“Listen up you two, we don’t have much time. Come up with a plan yet Kakashi?” Pakkun asked gruffly. 

“I’d say we have three options. We can make a run for it and hope that we reach Konoha before they catch us or hide and hope they don’t find us.”

“And the third?” asked Iruka.

“Set up an ambush, make a stand and hope for the best, but considering the resources at our disposal I’d rather try to outrun them,” Kakashi said matter-of-factly. 

Iruka scoffed. “I’m tougher than I look.” 

“That’s some big talk from someone who hasn’t even made chunin yet,” Kakashi smirked. Still unsettled by their brief moment of intimacy Kakshi felt comforted that they were falling back into their familiar, less emotionally charged patterns of bickering. “Let’s get out of here.” 

He sent off at a swift pace leaping through the treetops with Iruka close on his heels and Pakkun bringing up the rear. At worst, the hunters would catch up to them in a few hours and he hoped to cover as much ground as quickly as possible and put a large distance between them. 

Hours later, as the group neared the edges of Konoha’s borders Kakashi shuddered feeling the enormous pressure of the hunters’ chakra wash over him. 

“It’s no good, they’re catching up!” Pakkun panted from behind him. 

“Since when have those bastards ever come this close to Konoha?” he ground out. 

“Who knows, maybe we have something they really want?” Pakkun looked pointedly at Iruka. 

If Iruka noticed the insinuation he gave no indication and kept moving forward trying to keep pace with Kakashi. Considering the hunters never left survivors, Kakashi reasoned they had been waiting for an opportune moment to catch Iruka away from the village to handle their unfinished business and he could have kicked himself for walking so blithely into their trap. Why hadn’t Sandaime warned him about this possibility? 

“We’re stopping here,” Kakashi said sternly. His gaze flickered over to Iruka who came to a halt on the branch next to him and withdrew his kunai. He thought the teenager looked relatively composed compared to the state he was in earlier, but noticed how the hand that held the weapon trembled violently. However, before he could utter another word the hunters were upon them. 

The three shinobi descended from the treetops above them, one springing off of a nearby branch and heading directly toward Iruka. 

Kakashi stared back at Iruka horrified to see that he seemed frozen in place, and that even with his kunai raised he was making no move to defend himself. 

“Move!” Kakashi shouted and leapt reaching Iruka just in time to shove him out of the way of the large hunter’s attack. The man caught Kakashi with a small, curved blade, carving a deep gash into his shoulder. 

At the sight of Kakashi’s blood Iruka appeared to recover his composure a bit and he settled beside Kakashi. “I’m so sorry Kakashi-san! This is all my fault. If only I hadn’t been so weak…” Iruka said, his words trailing off. 

“We can worry about apologies later. We have more pressing matters to attend to, like staying alive for one thing. Besides, I think Sandaime would have my head if you come home with even a hair out of place.” Kakashi said pressing his hand tightly against the wound on his shoulder. 

“What if I team up with Pakkun and a clone to separate those two while you take this guy out?” Iruka asked hesitantly. 

“I’ll send my own clone along with Pakkun, but otherwise I think we have ourselves a plan,” he said pulling up his forehead protector to reveal his sharingan and summoning an identical version of himself, “Not bad no count!” 

Iruka gaped openly at Kakashi’s eye for a moment before bounding off with Pakkun and the other Kakashi in the direction of the two hunters standing casually on a branch in the distance. No sooner had they reached them than the hunters began to give chase, following his clone and Pakkun going in one direction and Iruka in the other, and before long Kakashi lost sight of them all together. He was worried but before he could help them he had to take care of his own job. Kakashi couldn’t stand the thought of losing another teammate and only hoped that Iruka would survive until he could get there. 

~~~~~~~

Kakashi stared down at Iruka from his perch on his bedside window. Iruka’s brown hair was fanned out on his pillow and he was sprawled carelessly about his futon with the blankets twisted around him in knots. Kakashi smiled at the scene. 

“You know,” he whispered softly almost to himself, “you actually don’t seem like such a terror when you’re like this. In fact, you may even be a little cute, which I find slightly disturbing.” 

Kakashi knew that he was treading into dangerous territory and even though he was worried at the reckless path his train of thought was plunging him down it did not deter him from reaching to out to gently curl a finger into Iruka’s hair.

At his touch Iruka rolled over and aimed a kunai squarely at his face. Kakashi caught it handily and held it out to him. “I believe this is yours.” 

“What are you doing here, _again_?” Iruka pouted. “What kind of teacher watches his teenage student sleeping in his underwear? Are you some kind of pervert?” 

“We’ve been through this before. I’m just checking up on you. I don’t think I could stand another lecture about neglecting my duties, putting you in harm’s way, etcetera etcetera, from Sandaime,” Kakashi sighed. 

“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Iruka said sitting up, clutching his blankets to his chest protectively, “That hunter we captured is being interrogated isn’t he? I seriously doubt anyone on the interrogation team would be careless enough to allow him escape or that he even remember their own names at this point. And you very handily took care of the other two. ”

“Very true, but I have my orders,” said Kakashi. 

Iruka looked away from Kakashi. “Besides,” he said quietly, “you’re the only one that got hurt. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” 

Kakashi jumped down from the window and sitting beside Iruka cradled his face in both hands. “Close your eyes,” he whispered. 

Iruka was still blaming himself for Kakashi’s injury and no matter what Kakashi said he could not convince him otherwise. 

Kakashi smoothed his thumbs over Iruka’s closed eyelids, wiping away the tears that began to leak down the sides of his face. He wasn’t sure how it’d happened and until now even he hadn’t even been fully aware of it, but Kakashi felt an odd sense of closeness to Iruka as if he never wanted to let him go. 

Kakashi pulled down his mask, leaned in and pressed his lips softly against Iruka’s in a chaste kiss. When Iruka didn’t immediately pull away, he deepened the kiss, gently running his tongue around the teenager’s lips and slipping it inside. 

Iruka gasped and Kakashi took that as an invitation, plunging his tongue deeper into his mouth. Then suddenly his hands were on Iruka, running along every sinewy, taunt line of Iruka’s naked chest and back. Iruka wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s neck and moaned into Kakashi’s mouth, emitting a sound much too erotic for someone his age Kakashi thought. 

Kakashi knew that it was wrong and he wanted to stop, yet with each passing second he wanted to devour Iruka even more. They broke apart for breathe. Iruka’s face was flushed and he grinned cutely at Kakashi. 

“Oh Kakashi-sensei, what would the old man say?” Iruka said jokingly. 

“Sorry, I can’t,” Kakashi said, suddenly shoving Iruka away from him. His arms still raised in the air and faced flushed; Iruka stared back at him in confusion before he vanished from his apartment. 

~~~~~~~

Kakashi sat quietly on a small bench gazing out over the greens and browns of Konoha’s summer. He could have guessed that his acquaintance would have been late, even without his heightened sense of perception. Initially, Kakashi had outright rejected the prospect of a meeting, and it was not until he was informed that it involved Naruto that he reluctantly aceepted. When it came to Naruto, Kakashi always regretted not having done more to help raise the boy, and he felt he owed Minato-sensei as much as he could do to watch over him from now on. 

Kakashi caught movement out of the corner of his eye and watched as a familiar figure approached and settled beside him. Iruka had not changed much over the years and besides becoming a bit taller and sturdier than Kakashi, he was no less handsome. After Kakashi had gone out of his way to avoid the other man, he had only seen him in passing and heard whispers here and there about him like the fact that he’d successfully passed his chunin exam or that he’d eventually become a teacher at the academy. Kakashi didn’t immediately acknowledge Iruka’s arrival and a lengthy silence stretched between the two men that neither one seemed willing to break. 

“Sorry for being late,” Iruka said hesitantly, “the kids used a jutsu to glue everything to my desk and after I lectured them it took them an hour to figure out how to remove it.” 

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t waiting long. I should say that it serves you right, but I guess not even the former king of all brats deserve that kind of terror on a daily basis.” 

Iruka chuckled and glanced over a Kakashi, then down at his hands which he fiddled with nervously in his lap. “Speaking of brats, I wanted to talk to you about Naruto. I’m sure you’ve already heard the details from Tsunade-sama that when the time comes I’m supposed to help protect him, but honestly I’m not sure if I can. He’s not a boy anymore…I don’t know that I can convince him of anything, and he looks up to you so I think it might be better if you go instead of me.” 

Kakashi shook his head. “Tsunadane-sama chose you for a reason and I’m needed elsewhere.” 

Iruka sighed, “I hate to admit it, but I suppose you’re right. I’ll figure out what to do.”

“Well, if that’s all sensei, I’ll be going…” Kakashi said, making a move to stand up.

“Wait!” Iruka said, suddenly grabbing his hand. 

Kakashi felt as if the contact between them was burning into him. It was a touch he had longed for, but forbidden himself from years ago. Following their _encounter_ Kakashi made a resolution to never to lay a hand on Iruka again and generally went out of his way to avoid the teenager. He requested to be placed on active duty again and took increasingly dangerous missions that kept him out of the village for long periods of time. He felt a strong sense of guilt toward Iruka, and although they weren’t very far apart in age, he realized that at Iruka’s age there was no way he could be certain what he wanted and Kakashi knew he would regret pressuring him into doing anything reckless. And with their occasion heated arguments about Naruto’s well-being Kakashi was sure that Iruka hated him by now. 

“There’s one other thing I want to know. Why did you leave?”

Kakashi turned towards Iruka looking at him squarely for the first time. Although the face he saw was reminiscent of the boy he remembered, his demeanor, one of determination and strength, belonged to the man Iruka had become. “Why are you asking me this now?”

“Because you never even gave me a chance! You probably thought I was too young, but even back then I knew what I wanted and I still do. ” Iruka said breathlessly.

Kakashi was amazed that just like him after all the time that had passed Iruka still wanted him. “Maybe it isn’t too late then?” He mumbled softly, almost to himself. 

Iruka rolled his eyes and reached for Kakashi’s hand. “No, it’s not too late, as long as you stop deciding what’s best for me instead of letting me choose.”

Kakashi gripped Iruka’s hands tightly and brought them up to his lips. “I was worried I was pushing you into something you didn’t want, not to mention you sure know how to ruin the mood. Just never mention the old man again in the bedroom.” 

Iruka smiled brilliantly. “I promise,” He winked at Kakashi and said suggestively “By the way, you can do anything you want with my hair now, and much much more.”

**Author's Note:**

> Remember to leave a comment below, or at the [LJ post](http://kakairu-fest.livejournal.com/125789.html?mode=reply#add_comment)!


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